#AP European History: The Holocaust - A Last-Minute Review 📚

Hey there! Let's get you feeling confident about the Holocaust for your AP Euro exam. We'll break it down, make it memorable, and focus on what matters most. Let's do this! 💪

#

The Roots of Anti-Semitism and the Rise of Nazi Ideology

#Historical Context

• Long history of anti-Semitism in Europe 🌍
  • Exclusion, torture, and exile of Jews in the Medieval period and during the Protestant Reformation.
• Rise of nationalism intensified anti-Semitism.
  • European countries sought to create homogenous national identities, excluding those who didn't fit.
  • Jews were seen as "outsiders" because they didn't share the same national heritage.

#

• Defined Jewish identity based on ancestry (3-4 Jewish grandparents), not religious practice.
• Prohibited marriage and relations between Jews and Germans.
• Required Jews to register their identity and wear the Star of David ✡️

#Propaganda and Blame

• Jews were falsely blamed for Germany's defeat in WWI and economic struggles.

• #Propaganda portrayed Jews as unpatriotic, greedy, and responsible for Germany's problems.

#

• Coordinated attacks on Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues in Germany and Austria.
• Paramilitary forces and civilians carried out the violence.

• #Marked a turning point in the persecution of Jews and the beginning of the Holocaust.

#

The Holocaust: Systematic Extermination

#Nazi Racial Ideology

• Nazi Germany sought to establish a “new racial order” based on the concept of an "Aryan race."
• The Holocaust was the systematic extermination of Jews, Romani people, people with disabilities, homosexuals, political opponents, and others deemed "unworthy of life.